The field of the invention is strap-like apparel (for example, collars, belts) having lighted studs.
Studded belts and collars without lights are well-known in the prior art and are a popular fashion among young people, especially fans of punk or heavy metal music. Lighted belts or collars without studs are also known in the prior art. Some examples are a device made in China and sold at fairs in the United States which has a flex circuit with light-emitting diodes (LED""s) and is worn as a belt, bracelet, or collar; a lighted collar with a different type of battery pack which is sold under the trademark Nite-Lite, and a glowing necklace made by Team Products International, Inc., Parsippany, N.J., and sold under the trademark Retro Glo.
However, none of these prior art devices have studs that light up.
The invention is strap-like apparel having lighted studs. The apparel can be any type of flexible strap, including but not limited to, collars, chokers and necklaces, belts, headbands, bracelets and armbands, and trim strips along the seams of pants. The studs can be any of a number of shapes, including but not limited to, conical, frusto-conical, cylindrical, pyramidal, spherical, diamond-shaped, button-shaped, or nozzle-shaped. The method of lighting studs is by means of light-emitting diodes (LED""s) which are positioned within the studs. The circuit which includes the LED""s can be any of several types, including but not limited to, a flex circuit or a circuit with batteries and a microprocessor strip.
An advantage of the invention is that it provides a novel fashion item, in that it is now possible to have lighted studded belts, collars, and other strap-like apparel in which the studs themselves light up.